 Ajantha Mendis - the 'Mystery Man'
9th Jul 2008 23:01 IST
Manish Kumar
Mendis has been promoted as Second Lieutenant by the Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
Mendis ripped apart Indian batting line up in the Asia Cup final with his six-wicket haul to help Sri Lanka lift the Trophy and was duly rewarded for his stupendous show.
The decision was taken even before the arrival of the victorious Sri Lankan cricket team from Karachi today.
Mendis, who was a gunner in the Sri Lanka Army's artillery unit and the only serviceman in the national cricket team, is a product of the Sri Lanka Cricket Academy and plays for 'Army' in the domestic matches.
Indian spin legend Bishan Singh Bedi had recently described Mendis as a 'meritorious' bowler from the sub-continent with a 'clean action'.
Sri Lanka Cricket Academy coach Jerome Jayaratne said the young spinner first caught their attention for his 'unusual and freaky' action.
Mendis, playing his eighth ODI, picked up the first six-wicket haul in the Asia Cup final against India. His 6/13 is the third-best bowling performance in a tournament final, and the third-best for a spinner in ODIs. His haul of 17 wickets is the best for an edition of the Asia Cup, and he bagged those wickets at an astounding average of 8.52.
Mendis won the man of the match award in the finals as well as the player of the tournament award for his efforts. |
